1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an overhead door backup spring system for use in connection with providing an emergency spring counterweight for overhead doors upon failure of a main spring counterweight.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Overhead door backup spring systems are desirable for allowing a user to still operate an overhead door, such as a garage door, even when the main spring counterweight has failed. The majority of overhead doors include multiple door panel sections that are hinged together and which travel along parallel side tracks or rails from a closed vertical position to an open horizontal position. These overhead doors normal utilize a torsion spring connected to a shaft which supplies the force to counter balance the door during the opening operation. The spring has a life cycle and will break or fail when reached.
When the spring fails, the user will call a garage door technician to make a house-call to replace the broken spring. Many users are not able to manually lift the full weight of the garage door because the spring is not providing the counter lifting force. In some cases, the user's vehicle is in the garage, which is now trapped and thus the technician would be required to make an emergency house-call. The emergency house-call can cost the user an increased rate over planned service calls.
Known garage door auxiliary spring systems specifically use a second spring that is connected to the shaft and which provides a lifting force for the door during only a portion of the travel path.
While the above-described devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an overhead door backup spring system that allows providing an emergency spring counterweight for overhead doors upon failure of a main spring counterweight
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved overhead door spring system that uses an extra spring providing an emergency spring counterweight for overhead doors upon failure of a main spring counterweight. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need. In this respect, the overhead door backup spring system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing an emergency spring counterweight for overhead doors upon failure of a main spring counterweight.